Read this article online
http://texasbantam.blogspot.com/https://www.facebook.com/groups/46810838356/ 2014/15 League One Fixtures
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/fixtures-results/fixtures-list/Links
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BradfordCityCFML/ http://texasbantam.blogspot.com/Pre-season fixtures
http://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/fixtures-results/pre_season_fixtures/index.aspx#tet4ZGCQaSYqfzxg.99 ======================
The highlights In brief
8/3
City 1-1 Hartlepool
July 29
BCFC 3 BPA 0
July 26th
City 0 Blackburn 0
Parkinson after Blackburn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP6F_tTTUN8 July 25th
Matt Taylor leaves Bradford to join Cheltenham on a two-year deal
http://bbc.in/WQmHJMALL Season Tickets/FlexiCards now available to pick up from the Bantams Ticket Office -
http://t.co/hJdjCv89se===========================
Sponsors extend stand deal with Bradford City
ONE of City's long-serving backers have had "no hesitation" in extending their sponsorship of the Bradford End at Valley Parade.
Insurance brokers TL Dallas Group have had their name emblazoned on the stand behind the goal since the summer of 2003.
Group director Mike Martin said the company are delighted to stretch their decade-long involvement into another season.
Martin said: "The team's effort in the 2012-13 season and the way they performed last year to maintain mid-table in League One, despite a number of challenges, was both extraordinary and inspiring.
"We had no hesitation in backing them for a further season.
"We have enjoyed a close relationship with the club and all our clients and visitors comment positively on the stadium and quality of hospitality. Dave Baldwin and all the City staff have been brilliant.
"On the field, Phil Parkinson and his team have brought a great deal of professionalism and this is now paying dividends. We are very excited about the prospects for this season."
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Don't let the door hit you on the way out
McLaughlin: Sweet time at Bradford City ended on sour note
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/11368325.McLaughlin__Sweet_time_at_Bradford_City_ended_on_sour_note/ Matt Taylor making the right move, says Phil Parkinson
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/11368386.Matt_Taylor_making_the_right_move__says_Phil_Parkinson_of_Cheltenham_switch/ ===========================
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/11368717.Bradford_City_0_Blackburn_Rovers_0/ Bradford City 0 Blackburn Rovers 0
4:48pm Saturday 26th July 2014
By Simon Parker
City made their first pre-season appearance at Valley Parade this afternoon in an entertaining goalless draw against Blackburn.
New keeper Jordan Pickford played the first 45 minutes but was largely untroubled by the Championship outfit.
City played some neat football with Alan Sheehan constantly bombing forward from left back. Gary Liddle also impressed again in controlling the midfield.
But Raffaele De Vita, still trying to earn a new contract, limped off just before half-time.
City created their best chances after the break with Sheehan twice going close. Mark Yeates was also denied by a fine tip-over from former England keeper Paul Robinson.
Ex-Leeds striker Luke Varney could have nicked it late on for Blackburn but fired over.
Trialists Matt Urwin, Christopher Routis and Mo Shariff – a striker formerly with QPR and Dagenham – were all involved as Phil Parkinson rang the changes in the second half.
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Parkinson pleased as Bradford City up the ante in pre-season
6:07pm Saturday 26th July 2014
By Simon Parker
Phil Parkinson was happy with City's competitive work-out against Blackburn.
Parkinson felt his side acquitted themselves well against the Championship outfit in this afternoon's goalless draw at Valley Parade.
He said: "It was a very competitive game. With the greatest respect to Shelbourne, this was a big jump today.
"It was a big step-up in quality but I thought we did well. We restricted them to very little in the second half, defended well and looked dangerous.
"We got in some good positions but didn't quite make the most of them. But all in all, physically it was a good work-out for us."
Raffaele De Vita was forced off just before half-time in his bid to persuade Parkinson to offer him another deal.
Parkinson added: "Raffa had a slight thigh strain, which was a shame for him."
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Alan Sheehan shines in Bradford City left-back role
6:30am Monday 28th July 2014
By Simon Parker
City 0, Blackburn 0
IT'S not often you come out of a pre-season friendly raving about the left back.
But the general buzz around Valley Parade after Saturday's entertaining but goalless encounter focused on the performance of Alan Sheehan.
The new boys all seemed to enjoy their first chance to press the home turf – and Gary Liddle already looks a midfield guv'nor in the making – but the real eye-catching effort came from his former Notts County pal.
James Meredith knew he had a battle on his hands to regain the starting shirt when he finally re-signed for the coming season.
If Saturday was anything to go by, the size of that struggle is considerable.
When he wasn't on defensive duty, Sheehan would be spotted popping up in the Blackburn box – a regular option for a pass and just as willing to test the Rovers goal himself.
He was that keen that, in the first half, he took one header off James Hanson as both rose for the same cross.
After the break, when City's attacking efforts were upped by the arrival of Mark Yeates, Sheehan directed another header wide when he should have scored from Stephen Darby's cross.
He had another blast batted away at the near post by one-time England keeper Paul Robinson and supplied a cross which Oliver McBurnie should have converted.
The Irishman enjoyed a good day – and earned the plaudits of his manager, with Phil Parkinson saying: "We're pleased with his performance. Obviously he's got a quality left foot.
"Alan has come in to the club and he's been right at the front with all the running in training."
But some individual performances were better than others and the afternoon did not prove anywhere near as fruitful for Raffaele De Vita.
The Italian's injury late in the first half cut short his latest opportunity to press his contract claims. Time is running out.
His forlorn expression as he trudged back towards the dressing room will have owed as much to his personal frustration as the worry that the slight thigh strain may have been connected to the problem that dogged his first year at the club.
With a batch of trialists still 'in the building', the day of reckoning is fast approaching for those hoping to jump aboard the Bantam bandwagon.
Chosen to start ahead of Yeates, Saturday was seen as a serious audition for the Italian against the club where he came through the academy under current Rovers boss Gary Bowyer.
De Vita was employed on the right of the midfield diamond, with Billy Knott pushed further forward into the 'hole role'.
But De Vita spent as much time tracking back towards his goal as getting upfield, with his hands full countering the overlapping threat of Tommy Spurr. He did not convince.
The oppressive heat and lack of a discernible breeze made playing conditions tough and referee Andy Haines whistled for a drinks break after 20 minutes.
But despite the cloying temperature, there was a spark about City's approach. Once again they stuck to the pass and move principles that have been instilled since the influx of 'ball players'.
Knott was instrumental in several neat interchanges, flicking the one-twos with De Vita one minute, then doing the same with Liddle the next.
The only aspect missing was a cutting edge to reward the build-up – a familiar concern, especially with Aaron Mclean once again watching beneath a baseball cap from one of the hospitality boxes.
Not that Blackburn created much more. The Championship side were missing three of their main strikers, most notably Jordan Rhodes, but still posed twice the threat that City had encountered in the pre-season programme up to then.
It was the jump in quality that Parkinson had wanted and it gave City's back four the work-out that they were ready for after strolling around against part-time opponents.
He said: "We've gone from the Shelbourne game, where we had loads of the ball, to coming up against a team who were going to have just as much possession.
"In the main, I thought we did well and restricted them to very little in the second half.
"It was a big game for the back four to get through but I was pleased with them. We defended well and blocked things when we had to."
As a squad, City remain a work in motion. The starting line-up pretty much picks itself but, with one more friendly to go, the concerns still centre on numbers – and the lack of.
The current player tally, not including wannabes, stands at 17 including the young ones. Mclean is still waiting to return to full training.
Jordan Pickford played his first 45 minutes in City colours. He came for and missed one cross but his kicking looked solid.
But the fact he reported a slight issue with his groin after going off highlights the risk of having such little leeway in the dressing room. No wonder Parkinson will once again press the powers-that-be for a confirmed back-up.
The wings obviously need to be sorted too but a lot of that could depend on the whims of the clubs where he has targeted potential loans.
With 12 days to go until Coventry arrive for the commencement of the real action, question marks continue to hover. But left back, at least, could not be stronger.
City: Pickford (Urwin 46), Darby, McArdle, Davies (Routis 78), Sheehan (Heaton 87), Liddle (Meredith 73), Knott (Kennedy 58), Dolan (Shariff 84), De Vita (Yeates 44), Clarke(Clarkson 69), Hanson (McBurnie 69). Subs (not used): Campion, Lamb.
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http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/11373940.Trialist_scores_hat_trick_as_Bradford_City_beat_Avenue/ Trialist scores hat-trick as Bradford City beat Avenue
9:17pm Tuesday 29th July 2014
By Simon Parker
French striker Achille Campion scored all three goals to help a makeshift Bradford City side to a 3-0 win at Park Avenue tonight.
City fielded nine trialists and Campion and winger Mo Shariff were the stand-out performers in an entertaining game at Horsfall Stadium.
But young striker Lewis Clarkson was forced off early on with a sore hamstring.
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From go slow to the fast show as Parkinson rant sparks Bantams into life
8:49am Monday 4th August 2014
By Simon Parker
CITY 1 HARTLEPOOL 1
IT might have been the last knockings of pre-season but there was nothing friendly about the ear-bashing City took at half-time.
Phil Parkinson had watched a tepid opening 45 minutes from a more detached vantage point in the Valley Parade press box.
What he witnessed was a lethargic, almost half-hearted knockabout from a team with an eye firmly fixed on the upcoming real action against Coventry.
Such an attitude was maybe understandable given the fear every player shares at this stage about picking up a late injury – and given the compactness of the current squad at his disposal that would have been a critical blow.
But for a boss who regards work ethic as the most important ingredient of any team, it was inexcusable. And, friendly or no friendly, he wasn't having any of it.
So by the time referee Eddie Ilderton blew his whistle, Parkinson had already flown down the stairs to the dressing room where he made his displeasure very plain.
"I wasn't happy at all," he said. "It was too slow and there weren't enough players on the front foot.
"We've got a lot of new players learning about each other but we had too many prepared to sit behind the ball. You're never going to create anything playing that way.
"The second half was ten times better. There was more energy, more people prepared to run, more prepared to snap into challenges, more desire and commitment.
"It doesn't matter what system you play at all. Whatever you do, it's how you implement it."
His half-time rant also included a reminder that those players needed to show that they were worth the shirts for this week's League One kick-off.
Unfortunately, because of the small number in reserve, most of those involved do pick themselves. The side that lined up on Saturday is pretty certain to be the same one that aims to show Steven Pressley that the so-called "dark age" football has been consigned to the past.
But the manager's message did hit home and a bored Valley Parade audience were finally brought to life by a more involved effort from their team.
Up to that point, the game's only eye-catching aspect had been Hartlepool's hideous salmon pink and black away kit which looked like a cross between training bibs and motorway hi-viz jackets.
But with ears and backsides no doubt still stinging, the extra zip in City's play was evident within minutes of the restart.
Colin Cooper's Hartlepool found themselves pressed back for long periods – although the worry still remains that for all the attractive build-up, there is not sufficient cutting edge to reward it.
James Hanson won his usual lion's share of the knockdowns but did not have a shot to his name. Without a goal in pre-season, City will hope he has saved up his tally for when it really counts.
Billy Clarke was once again alongside him with the continued absence of Aaron Mclean – who was at least involved on the pitch in some morning shooting practice with head physio Matt Barrass.
It was Clarke who got City's first Valley Parade goal since April, though ironically he had just dropped back into the number ten "hole" from a more advanced position when he ghosted on to the end of Hanson's flick-on to drive past Scott Flinders.
He had made some intelligent runs in the first half without finding the room to hurt the League Two defence.
Mark Yeates, who looked to get involved throughout, volleyed wide from another Hanson set-up but the best City could muster in that dour opening period came from Andrew Davies. His header, which seemed to scuff off Rory McArdle, was bundled away from in front the Hartlepool line.
Jack Compton and Matthew Bates were both back at Valley Parade and the winger who flickered briefly during Peter Jackson's reign did go close with a free-kick that curled round the post.
For Bates, who remarkably never played in a winning City side at home last season, it threatened to be a cathartic afternoon.
One sliced pass straight into touch aside, which drew ironic cheers, the defender looked to have a decent day – especially when he threw himself in the way of Clarke with a goal-saving challenge midway through the second half.
City had upped the ante by that stage, with Flinders diving to his left to deny the former Crawley man.
"Hold it, look after it," bawled Gary Liddle as the Bantams finally threatened to discover an end product for their midfield triangles.
Jordan Pickford produced a good save when Bradley Walker's drive took a deflection off Davies but it still came as a shock when it was Hartlepool who broke the deadlock, Walker again finding room to drill low and hard from the edge of the box.
Oliver McBurnie's recent arrival pushed Clarke back into the role at the tip of the diamond but he immediately stole in to convert the equaliser after Hanson helped on Alan Sheehan's cross.
The bench featured six trialists, including former Barnsley stalwart Bobby Hassell. Only two of them got on, Mo Shariff and Christopher Routis, but both made their mark in a lively finale.
Shariff's first touch was a fizzing 25-yarder which warmed the hands of Flinders and another spectacular dipping effort was tipped on to the bar by the keeper.
That was the second time City were foiled by the Kop woodwork as minutes before a cross had brushed off the head of the luckless Bates and pinged away.
His Valley Parade duck could still have been broken in the dying moments when the ball broke to Marlon Harewood in a promising shooting position by the City box. But Routis hurled his body in line to smother the danger.
CITY: Pickford, Darby, McArdle (Routis 69), Davies, Sheehan, Liddle, Dolan (Kennedy 76), Knott (Meredith 76), Yeates (McBurnie 69), Hanson, Clarke (Shariff 86). Subs (not used): Coulson, Hassell, Campion, Heaton, Urwin.
HARTLEPOOL: Flinders, Duckworth, Austin, Miller, Collins (Holden 18), Bates, Parnaby (Richards 72), Walker, Harewood, James, Compton (Franks 67). Subs (not used): Rowbotham, Nearney, Hawkins, Smith, Jones, Rafferty.
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